Fringe, “6:02 AM” (3.20)

Well, the world is collapsing ultimately because of him and then there’s what happens to Peter. And the best way to deal with that? With a “Fuck you, God” speech, obviously. I didn’t realized he believed in the big guy. But he seems to, and he seems bitter about the results with Peter. In the end, he offers himself in sacrifice to save the world. Will the offer be taken? Who knows? I say no since main characters are always notoriously hard to kill.

How’s Peter?

As they try to figure out how Walternate activated his Machine without him, his expression made me wonder if he might be deducing that he did indeed get Fauxlivia pregnant. That isn’t made clear, and it very well could be just be me imagining it. What is made clear is that this universe’s Machine definitely didn’t want him touching it. In an attempt to shut it off, the Machine shot him right back. He’s not dead but he’s out of it, right now.

How’s Walternate?

That sly, sly Walternate! Turns out accelerating Peter and Fauxlivia’s kid wasn’t intended to coax Peter back to the Red Universe. Walternate decided for a more direct and quicker option by using the Peter part of the kid’s genetics to activate the machine without his son’s help. Walternate tries to be sad that he’s about to blow up a universe, but the remorse comes off as forced when not only is he still going ahead with that plan but, as Fauxlivia discovers, he’s ready to let Peter die. It seems Walternate was not fond of his son’s betrayal.

How’s Fauxlivia?

That last little revelation pushes her to attempt to cross over and get Peter’s help to stop Walternate. That’s when she goes all badass on Walternate’s head lackey and tries to use the same tech Walternate used to get Peter to the Red Universe. Unfortunately, it fails on her at the worst time and she gets caught. Walternate then tells her that he decided to be lenient with her prison arrangements since she’s family. That, in the TV/Film world, is code for “create an artificially easy way to escape’.

How’s Sam (and Olivia)?

Everybody’s favourite non-bald enigma / bowling lane operator is back and after he notices some funky physics happening with both the bowling balls and his novelty office desk accessory thing, he decides to go on a road trip. Olivia is tasked to find him but in the end, he finds her to … do some stuff. I guess that’s for next time!

In Conclusion

This very much felt like the beginning, like part one of what seems to be a three-part season finale. Yay! Again. As this episode ends, we have both Machines on and operating, Peter out cold, Fauxlivia locked up, Walternate forging ahead, Walter willing to die and Sam ready to help. The whole episode felt like an action movie in terms of dialogue and character roles (in other words, not that creative). Now, at the same time, this is only the beginning so not only are there parts missing to this story, the show has, I assume, two more chances to better itself.